A True Heart
by Akane Naomi
Summary: Izumi has a crush on Takuya whom she hasn't seen since grade school. Once she sees him again, he's one of the popular guys at school. Will their friendship continue? maybe more? Completed
1. When we first Met

One Heart

"Izumi"

"Izumi!" her friend Miyako yelled whacking her on the head

Izumi's head suddenly went up "Ow! What was that for?" she yelled putting her hand on her head from the throbbing pain.

"You fell asleep….AGAIN!" she pointed glaring at her

She rolled her eyes "Sorry, I fell asleep…..AGAIN"

Miyako sighed and sat down on the chair, and looked at Izumi suspiciously. Izumi noticed and asked "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because……." she started "You were talking in your sleep….and you said Takuya's name"

She blushed "W-What are you talking about, it's just a dream! It doesn't mean anything!"

"Oh c'mon, don't tell me that you like him?!" she sighed

"I………I-I" she started

"What do you think your friends are going to say?" she demanded

"Depends…I don't have a lot of friends"

"You have me…..Jeri,…….." Miyako began, counting her fingers

"And Junpei…..and Tomoki, that's it" Izumi finished

She counted again and looked at her "Out of all of the other guys, why would you like Takuya, one of the four goggle headed idiots?"

"He's not an idiot!" she defended

"Ah, you do like him, not to mention he's one of the popular guys in school" she mumbled

Izumi blushed again and turned away "What do you have against him?"

"I don't think a guy like him should be with you, I mean, I don't trust him"

She smiled "I'm a girl in high school, I know how to deal with my feelings" and walked away

"I still don't get why you like him" she muttered

The next day when it was school, Izumi started to walk towards the school building and noticed a group that was hanging around and laughing. She blushed when she saw Takuya and remembered what Miyako said the day before "_I still don't get why you like him"._ She looked up and thought "I have my reasons why I like him…….."

_Flashback_

_Third Grade_

"_Hey, isn't that Izumi?" a kid teased_

"_Yeah it is!" laughed another_

"_Don't talk to her, or else she'll talk in a weird accent and gibberish" they laughed again pointing at her_

_Izumi started to cry until someone stood in front of her, she looked up to see a boy with brown hair defending her._

"_Stop that you guys, there's nothing wrong with her" he glared_

"_Ah! It's Kanbara-san!" one cried_

"_He's one of the popular leaders, let's run!" they yelled as they ran farther _

_Izumi closed her eyes, worried about what was going to happen next, and felt someone kneel down to her. She opened her eyes to see the boy in front of her again, as tears kept falling._

"_Hey, it's alright" he grinned wiping a tear from her eyes_

_She blushed a little bit and looked down "T-Thank y-you"_

_He laughed "You're Orimoto, Izumi right?"_

_She looked up in surprise "H-how did you k-know?"_

"_We are friends, right?"_

_She blushed in surprise not sure of what to say._

_His expression softened "Is that a no?"_

_She shook her head and smiled "I'll be your friend"_

"_That's great!" he yelled as he took her hand and stopped "You have to promise me one thing"_

_She looked at him "What is it?"_

"_Try not to cry when I'm not around!" he smiled again "Pinky swear?"_

_She giggled softly and held her pinky finger with his "It's a promise"_

_End of Flasback_


	2. The Promise

_A True Heart_

"Ah! I'm late!" Izumi realized as she heard the bell ring, running into the school building. Luckily she made it to class on time, and it was a free period. "So I ran all the way here for nothing?" she thought

"Wow, you were so close" laughed Junpei and Tomoki

She sighed and sat down next to her friends "I was distracted, and before I knew it, the bell rang" she started

"Excuses, excuses, we all know that you have a crush on Tak-" Miyako tried to point out until Izumi covered her mouth.

"Don't say another word!" she cried blushing , hoping that no one heard but her friends. She looked around, and put her hand down in relief.

"I thought you were gonna kill me there! I couldn't breathe" Miyako glared

"Well, I'm not the one who exaggerates every time" she muttered

"Y-You guys……stop" started Jeri standing in between them, not sure of what else to convince them with. When they both calmed down, her shoe accidentally stepped on something. She bent down to pick it up to see a necklace on a chain. "Is this anyone's?" she asked her friends

Izumi became surprised and nodded "That's mine" as she took the necklace, and held it in her hand.

"I didn't know that you had that necklace, I didn't even recognize it" Jeri commented

She smiled "It was because this…….this is really special to me" as she turned to glance at Takuya and back at her friends.

"It's from him?" asked Miyako glaring as she nodded "When did he give it to you?"

"Tell us! Tell us!" Jeri said excitedly

She laughed "Well……it was a while ago in grade school…."

_Flashback Fourth Grade_

"_Takuya!" Izumi called running towards him after school._

_He turned to her and smiled weakly "Hey Izumi"_

_Surprised, she looked at his expression and became worried "Um…….Takuya? Are you alright?"_

_He sadly looked at her "There's….something I have to tell you…." he started and looked away "I'm going to be leaving…."_

_Izumi became shocked and didn't know what else to say "I'm sorry to hear that…….um…."_

"_Aren't you going to ask me when I'm going to leave?"_

_She shook her head "No……because if I do….then I'll cry, if I cry……..I'd be breaking your promise"_

_He laughed "Is that why? Don't worry about it….it's…….okay to cry" as he held her hand and gave her a present. "Don't open this until you get home" he pointed making her giggle. _

_When she got home, she opened her present carefully to find a necklace inside with the letter T, and she softly held it as tears started to fall._

_The next day when they both said good-bye to each other, Takuya got into the car and glanced back at her "Don't cry Izumi……I'll come back" and disappeared farther down the street._

_End of Flashback_

"Why am I suddenly remembering these things now?" Izumi thought as she felt her forehead, getting warmer. She was standing near her locker and didn't realize she was blocking someone's locker.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked a voice behind her

She quickly turned around, surprised to find Takuya standing right behind her and apologized "Ah, sorry!" and ran down the hallway feeling embarrassed.

"W-Wait!" he called after her, but she was far away to hear him. He was about to go after her until he noticed something on the ground and picked it up. Looking closely to see what it was, it seemed familiar.

"I've seen this necklace before…" he thought


	3. Hope to Remember

_A True Heart _

"Where have I seen this before?" he thought again trying hard to remember…

"_Takuya!" a girl yelled in his head_

"Takuya? Takuya! uh……." started Kouji along with his twin Kouichi "Hello? Earth to Takuya?" he started again waving his hand in front of him.

"Huh? Oh sorry….I kinda spaced out for a moment" he laughed putting the necklace in his pocket.

Kouichi started to laugh "Well let's go, the others are waiting for us you know"

"You mean for the air headed slowpoke here" added Kouji as the three walked down the hallway while the fan clubs started following them. Kouji turned around to glance at them and muttered "I forgot, "they're" here"

"Aw, you're so mean to your fan clubs!" giggled a girl in pink

The guys looked at her surprised. "How long were you there Mimi?"

"You guys were taking too long, so the rest of us went to look for you" she pouted

"We WOULD have gone faster if a certain "extra" wasn't so slow" sighed Kouichi

Takuya turned to Kouji and nodded "Yeah Kouji, why can't you be as fast as your twin?"

"Wha? Hey! Why are you putting the blame on me!" he glared

"Alright! Since I've found you guys, we can now leave!" Mimi interrupted by grabbing the three by their collars and dragging them down to the exit.

"Hey! Why am I part of this?" yelled Kouichi

Outside

"Good job Mimi, we completed the mission: Find the rest of our crew members" Tai commented

"What is this? a fan club within a club?" Kouichi asked

Sora laughed and shook her head "No, of course not"

"So, if this isn't a fan club………" started Takuya looking around

"Then why are we all tied up?!?!" glared Kouji

"Oh that, haha sorry, you guys are always busy that we didn't have a chance to tell you something important" laughed Daisuke

"What would that be?"

"It was something really important…..it had to do with someone……" started Tai looking around to see if anyone was listening

"……..and" started Daisuke

"…………………."

"……………………"

"AREN'T YOU GOING TO TELL US?!?!" they yelled

"Oh yeah, of course I will"

"……………"

"After I remember what it was" he laughed

"You've got to be kidding…."

A while later…

"Geez, they tied us up for nothing" complained Takuya as they were free from the rope

"Where did she get that anyways?" asked Kouichi

"Don't be amazed"

"Well, since we wasted about an hour for nothing, we might as well head home" announced Kouji in a bored tone

His brother nodded "Yeah" and followed after him

"Hey, don't follow me!"

"It's not my fault, we live in the same house"

"Great, thanks for reminding me"

Takuya laughed and shook his head watching the two brothers arguing. "I should be heading home too" he thought heading towards home. As he was walking by the park, he noticed someone familiar standing in front of a cherry blossom tree.

"I wonder why the park is always a place to go to, whether you're happy or not" thought Izumi as she watched petals falling down like snow. She looked up at the tree "Now that you mention it,…..where did I put that necklace?" she asked herself becoming worried. "I wish that if I can only find it…" she started, closing her eyes until someone stood behind her.

"Orimoto?" asked a voice

"That voice!" she thought and turned around to see Takuya again "Kanbara-san? um……what are you doing here?"

"I think you left something behind at school" he said taking the necklace out of his pocket and held his hand out to her.

"Just my luck" she thought as she took it from his hand. "T-Thanks" as she slightly blushed hoping that he didn't notice.

"For some reason, I thought this looked familiar…." he started

She looked at him surprised "Does he know?" she thought nervously

"Anyways, I should be going home since it's getting dark" he laughed

"Oh, yeah……thanks anyways" she replied

He looked at her "I'll walk you home"

"O-Ok" she agreed starting to feel more nervous

As he nodded and they left the park, they kept walking. Izumi kept a distance between them, trying to stay away and avoid embarrassment. She glanced at him but turned away when he noticed, making her blush. "Why can't I find anything to say?" she thought

"Are you alright?" he asked feeling concerned

She nodded "Ah, I guess I'm just tired"

"That's true…"

"Um………."

"Yes?"

"What you said earlier……..that it was familiar" she said trying to start a conversation

"Oh that, ……..I'm not really sure, I'm not good at remembering things"

Izumi nodded and stopped in front of the door, turning to him "Well, this is where I live, thanks for walking me home"

He smiled "You're welcome, well, see you in school tomorrow!" and left through the gates until he disappeared down the street. She watched him leave until he was gone and closed the door behind her. "He…doesn't remember" she thought sadly looking down…


	4. Remember pt 1

_A True Heart_

"Now, what are you moping about?"

She looked up "M-Miyako? What are you doing here?"

"What?, I wait for you, and all I get is what are you doing here?" she asked in a tired tone

She laughed "I'm sorry, I'm kinda….um……" she tried to say

Miyako shook her head and sighed "Does this have to do with that goggle head kid?"

Turning to her friend she replied "Kind of……but he didn't do anything! worried that she was going to

track him down.

"Alright….if you say so"

"Um……Miyako……why do you think a person like him is bad?"

Miyako turned to face her "Well…….. you "did" say that he moved"

Izumi nodded "Yes, but he came back"

"So? are you sure this is the same Takuya you're talking about from the past?" she pointed

"O-Of c-course he….. is………, he's Takuya Kanbara" she stammered

She looked at Izumi suspiciously "Are you sure?"

Izumi nodded "I know for a fact, besides what makes you think that?" starting to feel upset

"Because……., anyone in this world could have the same name. Maybe he's someone different"

She shook her head "it can't be! I still remember him"

Miyako sat down on the chair beside her "Are you sure that's his name?"

She started at her "W-What?"

"I said, are you sure that's his name?" she asked again

"Yes"

"Before you answer, think about it"

She sighed and closed her eyes "I know for sure….it's him" she thought

Miyako stood up and before she started to leave, she turned to glance at her friend "You should think about it, you haven't seen him in years…" and was gone

The next day

"Class, I would like to introduce you to three of our new students…….Rika, Henry and Takato" announced the teacher

The three nodded as the teacher assigned them to their seats. A boy Takato who was assigned to sit next to Izumi walked up to his desk and sat down. She glanced at him "Why does he seem so familiar?" she thought

He noticed her glance and turned to her and became surprised "Izumi? Is that you?"


	5. Remember pt 2

_A True Heart_

Izumi looked at the new boy next to her, a bit confused. Suddenly she realized who he was "Takato?"

He laughed "The teacher said my name a few moments ago"

"I know, I wasn't paying attention" she said laughing and noticed her friends walking up to her

Jeri sat down "You know him Izumi?" she pointed

"She and I were childhood friends in grade school" Takato started

Izumi started to pout "until "you" had to move somewhere else far far away!"

"Sorry, it was my parents, they kept moving to different places because of their work, until we finally came back here" he explained

Miyako looked up "So…..a childhood friend eh?" and suddenly had a light bulb idea

They both nodded

She grabbed Izumi by the arm and announced "I need to talk to Izumi for a moment" and they nodded as they ran out the door.

"What did you bring me out here for?" Izumi asked suspiciously

"See! This could be him!" she whispered

She gave her a weird look "Um…yeah? it's probably because we're friends?"

"Exactly!" she yelled

She covered her ears "What are you talking about?" trying to keep a distance away from her.

"Don't you see? This childhood friend/ crush could be Takato, not Takuya! You must have mistaken him since they kinda look alike" she happily explained

She shook her head "No…..it wouldn't be like that……" she thought "It can't be….I know it….." as she closed her eyes to think straight. _"Think about it….."_ the voice kept repeating in her head

"Are you ok Izumi?" Miyako worriedly asked

She nodded "I'm feeling kinda dizzy……I'll see you later" and walked to the infirmary room. She sat on the bed to think of an excuse of missing class. "Oh well, it's almost the end of the day" she thought

"Hey, Izumi?"

She looked up to see Takuya walking in the room looking at her. "Oh hi" she replied trying to act cheerful

He nodded and noticed something different "Are you sick?" he asked worriedly and felt her temperature

She blushed "I-I'm fine! Don't worry about me!"

"Hm, I don't know……you're temperature is rising and your face is pink" and paused "Or maybe….you're blushing?" and laughed

"Hey Takuya! Let's go!" yelled his friend Kouichi

"Leave him be…….he's probably gonna get us behind schedule again" muttered Kouji

Takuya started to leave but turned back to glance at her "I'll see you later Izumi" and left out the door.

She nodded and decided to meet her friends since there was no use in staying in bed. As she walked down the hall to the classroom, she looked at Takato talking to her friends. Looking down she thought "Maybe Miyako's right……."

Takato noticed her at the doorway "Hey, Izumi! Are you feeling better?" he asked waving

She laughed, trying to act cheerful "Yeah" and joined them. "Maybe she's right……..maybe Takuya was the wrong guy I was falling for all this time" she thought looking at her childhood friend "Maybe it was Takato all along……"


	6. Wondering

_A True Heart_

"Hello? Anyone there?" waved Jeri as the others started to laugh

"Huh? oh sorry……spaced out I guess" Izumi apologized

She smiled, "Are you sure that you're feeling alright?"

Nodding, she suddenly asked "I don't know if it's just me, but, why is everyone asking me that?" looking at their reactions

"………………."

"………………"

"…………………."

"…………..well?" she started impatiently

"What?" they asked again making her fall over

"I know you heard me!"

"Oh, you mean you really wanted us to answer that?"

She groaned "My head hurts now…."

"That's what being sick feels like" answered Jeri

"I feel really tired"

Takato patted her head "There, there"

"I can't think right"

"You never could" replied Junpei

She glared at him "I hate you guys……"

"That's why we are such good friends!" exclaimed Tomoki

Miyako laughed "That's right! opposites attract!"

"………………." was all she could say

Outside

"Takuya" called a voice

He turned to the person that was calling him. He sat up from the ground and waved "Takato! Long time no see"

"Yeah yeah, same to you I guess" Takato joked as he sat across from him

"So what's up?"

He looked up at the sky "Clouds….blue……the sky…..planes………" he said sarcastically

Takuya laughed as he threw the soccer ball at Takato. "You're still the same weird kid I know"

He shrugged "what else is new?"

"Your reaction when you came to class"

"Huh? what about it?"

Takuya caught the ball that he threw back, and stopped,…. remembering Izumi's and Takato's reactions when they saw each other. He shook his head muttering "Never mind…"

He looked at Takuya's face and laughed "I get it!"

"W-What?"

"You must be talking about when I almost tripped in class today right?"

"uh….Not exactly…"

"Hm…" he started to think "I know, does it have to do with that girl I was talking to?"

"Depends "which" one are you referring to since there are a lot of girls in this school" he started to point out

"Orimoto, Izumi"

He looked at his friend and sighed "So you knew?"

"Haha don't be funny, everyone in the neighborhood a long time ago knew that!" he laughed

"Really? apparently, she didn't"

"Well there's that too…." he agreed and asked "By the way, if we were her friends a while ago, how come you don't hang out with us?"

"Well I don't think she really remembers me" he started

"That's easy, remember that gift you gave to her back then? as Takuya nodded and went on "Well, why don't you ask her if she still has it?"

Takuya started to think "He's right, I could ask her……..if I knew how to say it right…."

"That's right! Believe in your heart!" cheered Takato

"I'll ask her soon enough,…but right now isn't the time" he thought again . He looked over at Takato who was reading a book and asked "By the way, where did you get this idea all of a sudden?"

"Oh from the manga of course!" he grinned as Takuya fell down

He turned the page "Oh I get what that means! In the manga and anime, when the person falls down, it means they are shocked, speechless, or just plain times that they just happen!"

He got back up "You just suddenly realized that?"


	7. Takato's Plan

_A True Heart_

"Aha! I have a plan!" Takato shouted

Takuya rolled his eyes "Do I want to know?"

"Maybe…….you never know…." he responded trying to act suspicious

"Alright, then see ya" as he walked away without a care

Takato watched him going down the hallway and mumbled to himself "It's a very good plan, yep. I'm gonna put it through Lights! Camera? and maybe Action!" he smiled as he started to write in his notebook out of nowhere. "I'm a genius!" he laughed to himself

"Uh……Takato, who are you talking to?" Rika and Henry asked as they started to look at him weirdly

------------------------

"Class, I have an announcement!" the teacher explained as the class began to listen. "Our school has decided to put up a play."

"Oh! What play will it be?" Mimi asked excitedly

"It will be called Romeo and Juliet" he answered

Another student raised her hand "Will there be auditions?"

The teacher shook his head "Our director has observed everyone and has already decided on the roles"

"Aww" the class sadly responded

Izumi leaned over to Jeri "Who do you think is going to be in the play?"

"It's obvious that the director is probably going to pick outgoing and popular people" responded Junpei

"Hey, I wasn't talking to you" she joked

"You were talking around me" as they laughed

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get a part in the play" Takato added

She looked over at him "What makes you think that?"

"I don't think….I know"

"Uh,…….okay…"

"Nothing to worry about" he laughed

She laughed nervously "That's what I was afraid of" she thought in her head

The teacher continued "I have a list of the students in the play" taking a clipboard out "Takato is our director, Rika is the costume manager.. Henry will be tech manager.."

"Why did they pick me?" thought Rika

"Chill out, it's not like you'll be onstage" Henry mentioned

She nodded as they both looked back at the teacher

"How long is this teacher going to be babbling on?" Izumi thought and was about to write a note until she heard her name being announced.

"Izumi will play Juliet and Takuya will play Romeo. Alright class dismissed!" the teacher finished closing the drawer and leaving out the door along with the other students.

"Nice job Izumi, you're playing Juliet" complimented Miyako

She blushed "I…….didn't know" and remembered what Takato had said "Hey! Where's Takato!?"

He laughed nervously "Looks like the bell just rang, see ya!" as he ran out the door almost running into someone else

"Takato" a voice announced

He turned around to face Takuya who was glaring at him. "Hm, now I can't decide whether I want to be beat up by Izumi, or to be lectured "and" beat up by Takuya"

"Don't be funny!"

"Sorry, sorry" he tried, but instead of remaining calm, he began to laugh

Takuya sighed "By the way, what was this brilliant plan of yours?"

"Oh that. That's it"

"What?"

"The play?"

"………………………."

"………………………….."

"…………………………..

"Are we playing the silent game?"

"No"

"Ahem, like I said earlier a few moments ago. The play is my plan"

"I don't get it"

"You don't get it through that dense mind of yours you mean" he mumbled "Anyways, if you and Izumi are playing the lead roles in a romance play….."

Takuya became surprised "Wait, why would the director choose us?"

"Ahem, did you forget your friend with the brilliant plan here is "the director"?"

He glared at him "I'm going to kill you, you know that"

He started to laugh "If your heart didn't kill you first Romeo" as he began to run before he was beaten up.

_A proper thank you to all my reviewers. nn_


	8. Eavesdropping

_A True Heart_

"Forget it" Takuya sighed as he gave up running after Takato who disappeared within seconds. He headed on home until he decided to visit the park along the way. He sat down on one of the benches watching people pass by.

At that same time, Izumi was sitting on the bench behind him and without looking back she began to start, "Nice weather today" and realized "What? Why am I talking to a complete stranger?" she thought

"Yeah" he responded without having to look back

"Did he just respond back to me? Oh well…… wait! That voice sounded familiar!" she thought again tempted to turn around to see who it was, but remained.

"You know, friendship is a mysterious thing" he began

"Yeah, it is"

"I wonder why a person you haven't seen in years, well just doesn't seem to remember"

"Maybe……that person is thinking the same thing…..whoever it is, must want you to remember too" she responded softly looking at the sky

"How will I know?"

"I don't. Yet, it's just a feeling. Even I have a friend who I haven't seen in years, and…..well it's not like before. It's like-"

"It never happened" he finished

She laughed "Yeah, just like that. I don't know how to bring it up"

"And you don't know how sure……if the person you're looking for is the one"

She nodded "I think I found him…….but now I'm confused"

He laughed "What are you supposed to be confused about?"

"It's hard to explain…and I can't decide or remember too well"

"It'll come back to you"

"I can't even remember which one I liked…." and blushed when she realized what she just said "Idiot!

What are you saying?!" she thought

"Well as they say "Even if there are two guys, the one you love most will make your heart beat" announced a different voice

They both turned around "Takato?!?!"

He stared at them with a bored expression "What, I just gave you two some advice, and all I get is…."Takato?!?!"

"How long where you there?" asked Takuya

"Long enough"

"What are you doing here though?" Izumi asked

Takato rolled his eyes and folded his arms "I could ask the "two" of you the same thing"

They both looked at each other slightly blushing. "You mean the whole time I was talking to her?" thought Takuya

"I thought he was someone else!" thought Izumi and quickly stood up. "Uh…..I have to go home now…..see you!" and ran off

"So, like I said, what were you two doing here together?" asked Takato

"It's not like that. I didn't even know it was her, I thought she was someone else" he explained

"Right…."

"I'm serious……besides, I don't even know her that well"

"Weird, you said she was your childhood friend" he pointed

"I wasn't sure, besides it didn't seem like her anyways"

"How come at school, you seemed to like her?"

"I guess…..I wanted to get to know her because she seemed familiar"

He turned away "So, what is Izumi to you?"

Takuya's reaction became surprised "I guess……a classmate………I don't intend to fall for anyone that easily" and thought "do I?"

"Is that it?"

He nodded "She doesn't matter to me…..that much……"

"Ouch" thought Takato worriedly and announced "Uh…….I guess we should head home now"

After the two guys left the park, Izumi stepped out from behind the tree with tears in her eyes. "_She doesn't matter to me…..that much……" _kept repeating into her head. "That jerk Takuya…." she thought


	9. Morning Accidents

_A True Heart_

As Izumi started to walk out of the park, the clouds began to gather together as raindrops fell. She looked up at the sky. "Well…… isn't this a coincidence" she muttered heading home.

…………………………..

Next Day afterschool

"Hey Takuya!" waved Takato running up to him

He nodded slightly and kept walking. Takato looked at him weirdly and asked "What's wrong? You're not dense minded like usual"

"I guess I'm tired"

"I see….. so how did the play practice come along?" deciding to change the subject

Takuya stopped to think about it "Now that you mention it, it went pretty fine except for the fact that…"

_Flashback Earlier: Play Practice_

"_Hey Izumi, do you want to practice our lines?" Takuya asked as he saw her enter the auditorium _

_She nodded "Sure…" continuing to either look away or look down at the floor_

"_huh?" he thought noticing her reaction_

_End of Flashback_

"I dunno, she's been having this really weird, quiet, and almost depressed attitude" he explained

"I knew this was going to be bad" thought Takato "Maybe she was tired too"

"No, I don't think she would act that way. In fact, she's been doing that whenever she's around me…." he responding shaking his head

Takato looked away "This. Is. BAD" he thought

"I was going to ask her about it, but…" he continued

He laughed "Don't worry Takuya, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about" and thought "I hope…."

…………………………….

Early in the morning

The next morning, Izumi headed towards school early that morning to do the classroom chores. Walking down the hallway she began to think "I wonder who I'm going to work with this week for classroom chores…… I always forget" as she opened the door and saw no one. She sighed and set her schoolbag on the chair and went to the flower pot to water it.

"I wonder… if Takuya is mad at me…" as she reminded herself about yesterday and the way she acted towards him. "No, he even said so himself…I don't matter that much to him…so why should I care?"

Too busy in thought, she didn't realize that Takuya was entering the classroom. "Izumi?" he asked

Surprising her, she accidentally dropped the plant and turned around. "Oh….it's just you Takuya, you scared me"

He laughed "Sorry, about that" as he began picking up the broken pieces with her.

"I was joking, you didn't have to help me" she began

"It's okay… I like to help a friend"

"A friend?" she asked

He nodded "Yeah, because you're my friend"

"I thought….. he thought of me as a classmate" as she started to become confused. Picking up another piece which happened to be sharp, accidentally cut her. "Ow…" she mumbled

He kneeled down closer to her "Are you okay?"

She blushed slightly "I'm fine, I'll be right back" as she quickly ran to the infirmary to get a band-aid. She first began to wash her hands deep in thought again. "I don't this guy. First I'm a classmate, then I'm his friend? Why does this even matter anyways!?" she yelled in her head

_He didn't remember….._

_Maybe you fell for Takato and accidentally thought it was Takuya (Miyako)_

_No, I know it was Takuya_

_That childhood friend……. _

_Hi Izumi! (Takato)_

_Where did the necklace come from? (Jeri)_

_Takuya……..or was it Takato?_

"Why……..why can't I remember?" she whispered as tears streamed down her face.

"I'll remind you, you were supposed to get a band-aid remember?" Takuya announced out of nowhere surprising her again.

He took her finger putting a band-aid on it. "See? It's not that hard" as he laughed making her smile

She noticed the time on the clock "Ah, we should be heading back to the classroom" she reminded him

Agreeing, he took her hand as they walked out of the infirmary "I'm holding your hand, so there wouldn't be any more accidents like-" he began until they both forgot that the floor was still slippery from the plant they broke earlier with water, and fell.

"Like I said just a moment ago, although it seems like I just jinx ourselves" he laughed

She laughed and blushed immediately when she noticed she fell on him. "I'm sorry" helping him up

"It's nothing to worry about, I hope.." he smiled

She smiled weakly "Takuya…..if you keep that up" she thought as he wrote on the board "I'll really fall in love…..with you"


	10. The question pt 1

_A True Heart_

"Hello? Anyone there?" MIyako asked waving her hand in front of Izumi's face.

She looked up "Huh? Oh, sorry, what were you saying?"

"I haven't said anything, I just noticed your reaction. You were looking at someone outside" she explained

She turned her head to look out the window and saw a soccer game going on outside. "Ah, I forgot, Takato was playing a game today"

"You forgot? Your own childhood friend?"

"You didn't have to exaggerate it Miyako"

"I know I know" and smiled "Go outside and see him!" she cried hitting her on the head

"Ow!" she yelled glaring at her "Geez, you didn't have to hit me" walking out of the classroom. Miyako shook her head and laughed "Oh course I did"

Once Izumi was near the field, she sat down on the grass to watch along with the other students. "Hm, where's Takato?" she wondered looking at each player and spotted someone famliar "Takuya! Wait, I didn't know he played soccer" she thought as she heard most of the girls cheering and fan clubs gathering.

"Takato has a fan club?" she asked giving them a weird look "That's kinda creepy" looking away.

Suddenly, she heard people happily yelling "They won!" and looked over at the team. She smiled at the sight seeing that the team had won, but noticed that the players were helping an injured teammate. "Someone was hurt?"

……………………

She walked into the infirmary to see no one. "I guess, no one is around" as she looked both ways. She shrugged and walked further into the room and noticed behind the curtain that there was someone in bed. She quietly opened the curtain to take a peek at who was there. "T-Takuya?" she accidentally said aloud

Nervously, she sat down next to him in relief that he was still asleep. She took his hand "Geez, what

happened to you? You can be so careless…. " Looking at his face, she couldn't help but laugh "You're so cute, you're like a little kid" she commented also adding "Maybe that's why I love you so much" she announced softly

"Do I really?" Takuya laughed who was already awake

She blushed immediately "H-How….long were you a-a-awake?"

Smiling he said "Since you came into the room, I pretended to be asleep"

"Y-You mean…..you heard me….a-all this time?"

He nodded "Don't worry so much about it, I really can be careless sometimes."

Realizing she was still holding his hand she let go, "Sorry…" looking away

"Izumi…"

"Um, by the way, what happened earlier?" she asked changing the subject

He laughed "Well, we won the game at least, but I suddenly felt lightheaded, so that's why I'm here"

"I see, I was wondering if someone was hurt. That's why I came here, and I guess I ended up seeing you"

"That's a good thing right?" he joked making her laugh "Well I don't know, and why were you pretending to be asleep?"

He paused "I thought you were the nurse of one of my friends, so I kept quiet so that no one would bother me."

"Ah! I'm sorry, if I bothered you!" quickly apologizing

He shook his head "That's okay, I feel fine anyways. When you sat down next to me, I thought that I was right, there was a nurse, but my mistake. I recognized your voice when you started talking to me. So I listened to what you had to say"

"You listened to what I said?"

Nodding again he looked at her "I have a question to ask you"

She looked down "Um, sure okay"

"The last thing you said-" he began but was interrupted by Takato who came running in. "Ah! I found both of you!" he exclaimed

"What's wrong?" Izumi asked

He laughed "I guess I forgot, haha "

"Thank god Takato interrupted. Otherwise…." she thought looking at Takuya

"You idiot" Takuya muttered

Standing up from her seat "I-I um, have to leave now" she stammered and ran out the infirmary

Both of them looked at her. "Okay, Takuya, what did you do now?" Takato asked

He shook his head "I didn't do anything, it just so happened that "you" had to interrupt what I was going to say"

"Oh I get it" he grinned

He looked at him "I can't tell if what you're thinking is what I'm thinking, or if it's one of your weird ideas"

……………………………….

Next day

"That was close!" she sighed in relief that it was the end of the day

"What was?" Miyako asked out of nowhere

"Takuya was about to ask me something again about yesterday, but luckily Junpei and Tomoki interrupted us"

"Well, Izumi, first of all, you've been asking everyone to "purposefully" interrupt you two" she eyed her suspiciously "What's up with that?"

She paused "I'll tell you later…..it's a pretty long story"

"Fine, fine" she muttered and left out the building "Whatever he has to ask you, you can't run away from that"

Just after she announced that, Izumi noticed Takuya down the hallway and turned her head away. "Oh no! Not now!" she thought as she felt a hand on her shoulder "Izumi?"

She turned around "Oh hi Takuya!" trying to act cheerful

"Don't hi Takuya me, you know what's going on" he said getting to the point

"Really? I……..haven't um…n-noticed" feeling tense

His eyes softened "Are you trying to avoid me for some reason?"

"Of…of course not? Why would I do that to you?"

"You were about to run away a moment ago when you saw me"

"I could've been in a hurry"

"Plus, every time I tried to ask you something "someone" always had to interrupt us" he added

"It….it could have been a coincidence?" she asked

"Just to ask you a personal question?"

She paused for a moment "Um……" not sure of what else to say "Where's Takato?" she thought

"I have arrived my friends!" yelled a familiar voice

"Good, just on time" feeling relieved that Takato came just on time

"What now Takato?" sighed Takuya

"I just saw you two together and I thought I should say good bye to you" he cheered

"We're going to see you tomorrow you know"

"I know I know"

Takuya looked over to see that Izumi disappeared again. "Alright Takato, where's Izumi" he glared

"Um…. on her way to the park, that's what she told me this morning" he quickly answered

"I'll see you later then" and ran off to find her

Takato watched him run "I guess there are just things you can't run away from, …..especially love"

"What are you , matchmaker?" Rika asked giving him a weird look

………………………..

Izumi rested underneath the park tree and sat down "Phew! I'm glad Takato came along, that was close" looking down at the ground "Because, that would mean…" suddenly hearing footsteps behind her.

"That would mean, you would have to face my question, which is now" Takuya appeared giving her a serious look


	11. The question with another question pt 2

_A True Heart_

Izumi looked at him in surprise "I'm surprised that he knew where I was……unless if Takato told him" she thought as they were both silent looking at each other. Looking at his face she couldn't help but laugh, "I'm….so…sorry" she tried to apologized but continued to laugh harder

Hearing him sigh he sat down next to her "Now, what's with your mood?"

She laughed again "It was so funny! The way that you looked at me, I've never seen you like that, it's funny" as she glanced at him and was glad when he laughed with her.

"You can be weird sometimes"

…………………

At the Swings

"Izumi, there's something I wanted to ask you….but if you're really not in the mood to talk about it…..I won't say it" he began

She sighed "Well…..I can't ignore it and keep putting it off forever…I have to hear it one day……so, I guess you can tell me now"

She heard him stop, and got up from the swing. Looking up at the sky, he asked "Who am I to you?"

Stopping on the swing she was on also, she continued to stay there and tried to think of an answer "To me….you're Takuya, a guy in my school, most of my classes…..popular….nice…..funny…..you can be clumsy at times also…..and I think you have a good heart" she finished

Laughing he asked "Really? Is that how people see me?"

She began to walk up to him "Takuya, I have a question to ask you also……" she started and shook her head "um…..never mind….."

"You can ask me"

She looked up at him and asked "Do you remember me?"

………………………

"Izumi? Are you okay? You looked dazed" Takato commented also worried that something happened that had to do with yesterday's incident.

She shook her head "It's nothing Takato…..thanks for worrying about me…." trying to act cheerful

As for Takuya, he began thinking about what Izumi said that night. "Do you remember me? What kind of question was that?" he wondered "It's like she's talking about past tense……." he tried to think "Did she know me back then?" he thought

"_This is yours, you dropped it" he said handing the necklace to Izumi_

"That time……." he remembered

Izumi sat out in the courtyard "I wonder if……I made him worry about it now…." and decided to find Takuya to talk to him about it.

……………

"Think, who was she?" he tried to think

"Takuya?" Izumi asked as she appeared beside him

Looking over at her direction he smiled "Oh hi Izumi"

"Just by looking at him, I can tell it's been on his mind since" she said in her mind "Look, Takuya, you don't have to worry about the question yesterday" she explained

He glanced at her "Izumi, was I a person that was special to you?"

Blushing slightly she looked down "Yes…….but you don't remember……"


	12. Admit it

_A True Heart_

Takuya glanced at her, surprised at her response. "I didn't…remember?" he repeated. Before they could say anything else, someone happened to interrupt them.

"Even if Takuya doesn't remember Izumi, he's still the stupid goggle head that we all know." Takato grinned happily, breaking the silence between them.

"Shut up Takato, and leave those two alone." Rika muttered as she grabbed Takato by the collar dragging him away, along with a sighing Henry.

The two stared at the three for a moment still unsure with what just happened. "Eh?" Izumi thought. "What just happened?"

"Um, Izumi?" Takuya asked as she looked at him. "Do you mind if we spoke somewhere else so that no one would interfere?" also glaring at Takato from far away.

"Sure" she smiled, especially at Takato, knowing that he interrupted them to break the awkward silence between them. He nodded as they walked away somewhere else to talk.

Sitting on the tree on the tree branch

Takuya looked over at Izumi who didn't notice, and thought to himself. "Is she really the person that I was friends with a long time ago?" he wondered as he felt his hand in his pocket griping onto something metal. He looked down noticing that it was just a ring that she gave to him a while back, which he now attached it with a metal chain. "No, it's not "just" that."

Finally noticing that she was being stared at, she nervously smiled. "Takuya? Something on your mind?"

Then he decided to say it to her. "I don't care if she's the wrong person." he thought. He took her hand unexpectedly, making her blush a little. "Even if I might be confessing to the wrong person…" he began before continuing on. "Izumi. I just want you to know that… you were really a friend that I could trust, even if we didn't really get to know or talk to each other much. You were someone who could never leave my mind, no matter what."

"Is that a bad thing?" she joked.

"Nope." he smiled as he put something in her hands. "I just want you to know that, I…I really like you. More than just a friend."

She stared at him in shock. "Is this just a dream? Get yourself together Orimoto!" she yelled in her head. "So… you're trying to say…"

"All I just want to say is…I love you." he finally admitted as he jumped down from the tree branch, landing safely on the ground. As he was walking away, he also added. "Hey… maybe I do remember you, but I don't know if I kept my promise like before…."

"Huh?" she asked in confusion as he began walking away. Remembering that he gave her something, she checked her hands to see a ring on a chain.

"_Why do you have to move?" asked a crying blond._

_The boy smiled patting her head. "I'll come back, Izumi. Remember this, and don't open it until you get home." he said giving her a present in a box into her hands. _

_She glanced at it, and back at him. "I……I don't have anything for you…" _

"_That's okay."_

_She looked down guiltily and noticed the ring she was wearing on her finger. "H-Hey, don't do that" he said noticing what she was planning to do._

"_Here." she said firmly. "Keep this. When you come back, promise to give this back." she ordered._

_Laughing lightly, he hugged her. "Thanks, when I come back, I'll promise you that. I love you."_

_She hugged back happily, "I'll miss you, but I'll love you forever Tak-"_

"Ta-Takuya!" she yelled suddenly, making him turn around to face her. "What is it Izumi?"

"I…" she tried to say. "I love you too Takuya! I always wanted you to know that! I couldn't tell you before because I wasn't sure if it was you, and I……I….was afraid…"

"Aw, that girl is confessing her love, that's so cute." a woman who was passing by the park announced to her husband who looked over at them.

"Kids nowadays, they just suddenly grow up quickly." he responded as they walked away.

Izumi blushed immediately forgetting that she had confessed to Takuya by yelling it out to him instead of

saying it face to face. She looked over at Takuya who smiled. "Why don't you come down?"

"I…..I would, but…" she muttered.

"But?" he asked.

Looking straight down, she whispered softly. "I don't know how to get down…"

Listening to him laugh, she felt embarrassed again, until she felt someone grab her hands, almost making her fall. She closed her eyes, realizing that she was safe in his arms….only…her lips seemed to be against someone else's. She opened her eyes in surprise that it was Takuya, who was also surprised. Hugging him, she laughed. "I didn't know that you intended for us to kiss that way."

"I didn't plan it either!" he replied.

"Yeah right! That's what you wanted me to think!" she laughed, and noticing his reaction, she smiled to herself. "I never knew this could happen…"

……………….

"So I guess you two ended up being together after all." Miyako muttered the next day at school, seeing that the two were together.

"Yep. I'm sorry if you couldn't see this the same way." Izumi admitted to her friend, but she shook her head.

"I'm fine Izumi." she announced, and smiled evilly at Takuya. "If you do anything to hurt Izumi, I promise you that I will come after you and haunt you forever!" pointing a finger in front of his face.

"Don't worry." Takuya agreed.

"You guys! I have good and better news!" Takato yelled running into the classroom, interrupting "once again."

"What?" the three said in unison.

He panted, trying to breathe for a few moments before speaking. "The play is cancelled!"

"Ah, really?" Takuya asked as Izumi nodded. "We were actually looking forward to doing the play."

He grinned. "Not to worry! Because this!" he pointed as the T.V suddenly switched on, showing the newscast.

"Hello everyone! This is the school newscast!" the student announced on the mic. She gave a sad look. "Now you all heard about the play being cancelled." and paused. "Not to worry! Takato brought in a video that he claims is a true Romeo and Juliet story!" she smiled as she played the video.

So far all the students in school stopped with what they were doing, and glanced at the screen.

"Wait, what?" Izumi asked and realized what the video was.

"Hey…" Takuya pointed, suddenly turning to Takato. "You videotaped us yesterday?!"

"Isn't it great?" Takato smiled again. "Especially when Izumi confessed her love for you on the tree, and when you helped her down, you guys kissed! Just like a true romance story!"

"Takuya…" Izumi glared as Takuya nodded in agreement. "Takato, you have three seconds to run before the two of us-" they began.

"Better run! I have um… pictures to put on the school newspaper!" Takato hurriedly announced running out the door. "Did I forget to mention that they are pictures of you two from yesterday?!"


End file.
